Can piercing and dispensing device



Dec. 19, 1933.

F. A. PRAHL 1,939,791

CAN PIERCING AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed July 15, 1953 Patented 19, 1933 1,939,191 7 CAN rmncmc AND DISPENSING nsvrcn Frederick A. Prahl, New York, N. Y., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 13, 1933; Serial No. 680,323

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a combined can piercing and dispensing device which is particularly adapted for attachment to an hermetically sealed metal can to be used for dispensing the contents 5 thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a dispensing device for a can which is adapted to be attached thereto through the aid of a yielding member contacting with the outer face of the double seam and forming a liquid-tight joint therewith, which dispensing device is also provided with a cutter for piercing the end wall of the can and forming a dispensing opening therethrough.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a vertical sectional'view through a can dispensing and piercing device embodying the improvements, showing the device attached to a can preparatory to the dispensing of the contents thereof;

Fig. 2 is a view showing more or less diagrammatically the can and dispensingdevice inverted for the dispensing of the liquid content of the can into a receiving pipe;

Fig. 3 is a view of the dispensing device taken from he open end thereof;

4 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the cutters and the portion of the dispensing device to which it is attached, and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of a can showing the opening formed by the cutting device and its position relative to the double seam of the can.

The invention is directed to a combined can piercing and dispensing device for use in connection with the dispensing of lubricating oil marketed in hermetically sealed metal cans. The oil is put up by the original dispenser in sealed cans. The oil is sold in these original packages at the filling stations, and the cans are opened in the presence of the customer and emptied intothe chamber where it is to be utilized for lubricating purposes. The can piercing and dispensing device includes a body portion which is shaped to conform to the end portion of the can. Said body portion is provided with a recess in its inner face adjacent the open end thereof which terminates in a shoulder, so that whenthe dispensing device is placed down over the end of the can, the shoulder will serve as a stop to limit further movement of the dispensing device on to the can. The body portion of the dispensing device carries an integral spout, and said body portion is preferably tapered and merges into said spout. Located in this recess is a yielding elastic ring which performs the double function of holding the dispensing device attached to the can and of producing a tight sealed joint between the double seam and the dispensing device. Attached to the body portion above this shoulder is a cutter having a piercing point projecting beyond the open end of the dispensing 30 device. The cutter has cutting edges receding from the piercing point which cut the metal of the can and along the doubleseam and along lines extending inwardly therefrom so that a relatively large opening may be prodi'iced.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the can piercing and dispensing device includes a body portion 1 carrying a spout 2 which, is preferably formed integral therewith. Said body portion extends into a tapered portion 3 which merges into the spout. At its open end, the body portion flares outwardly as indicated at 4. 0n the inner face of this outwardly flaring portion 4 is a recess 5 in which is located an elastic ring 6. Said ring is placed in the recess and the metal may be curled down on to the ring for the purpose of ,firmly clamping said ring in said recess. At the upper end of the recess, as viewed in Fig. 1, there is a shoulder 7. Secured to the inner wall of the body portion 1 between the shoulder 7 and the spout 2, is a cutter 8. Said cutter is secured to the wall of the body portion by screws 9, 9. As shown in Fig. 3, there are three cutters. They are similar in construction and attached in a similar manner, and there- 35 fore, a description of one will answer for the others. Each cutter has a piercing point 10 and cutting edges 11, 11 which recede therefrom. These cutting edges are so shaped that the end of the can willbe out along the line a (see Fig.

5) which is adjacent the double seam, and thence along the lines b, b, and the cut out portion 0 of the can end will be rolled downwardly and thence inwardly, thus forming a wide opening through which the lubricating oil may be dispensed. The

wings of the cutter are provided with openings 8* which aid in the dispensing of the oil. The

can in which the oil is hermetically sealed includes a body portion 12 and. the end is secured to the body portion by a seam 13 which is pref- 1m erably in the form of a double seam. 'The double seam projects slightly beyond the wall of the can body 12. The piercing point 10 extends outside of the open end of the body portion of the dispensing device in the construction shown in the drawing. The cutter is spaced away from the ring 6'. Said dispensing device and ring 6 are so dimensioned that the dispensing device may be placed over the can end and forced down on to the same. The piercing points of the cut- 110 ters are placed close to the double seam, and then the dispensing device forced on to the can which will simultaneously cut the openings in the can end. The yielding ring 6 contacts with the double seam. The inner face of this ring tapers outwardly toward the open end of the can, so that the double seam will easily enter the ring and will contact with the same with a gradually increasing yielding grip. The stop shoulder 7 limits the movement of the dispensing device on to the can so that the yielding ring will be in contact with the outer face of the double seam. This yielding gripping contact of the ring against the outer face of the double seam performs the double function of attaching the dispensing device firmly to the can and also of producing a tight seal.

After the dispensing device has been attached to the can, then the can and the dispensing device are handled as a unit and inverted so as to cause the lubricating oil within the can to pass out through the openings into the dispensing device and through the spout into the chamber where it is to be used. If the fiow of the lubricating oil from the spout is in any way retarded so that it accumulates in the body portion of the dispensing device, the lubricating oil cannot pass the tight seal between the double seam and the ring 6 and will be held back in the can. By providing three cutters, openings will be formed in the can end so that it is immaterial as to which side of the can end may be the low side. All of the lubricating oil will drain from one or the other of the openings. The, spout may be inserted in the receiving pipe of the crank casing and allowed to rest therein while the contents of the can are being dispensed into the crank casing, and the operator is left free to render other service during the dispensing of the oil from the can. After the oil has been dispensed from the can, then it is returned to righted position, and the dispensing device may be removed therefrom. The ring 6, while it forms a rigid connection between the dispensing device and the can, will yield to allow said dispensing device to be separated from the can. 1

While the cutter is shown'as projecting from the body portion of the dispensing device, it may terminate at the open end or inside of the open end, so that the point thereof may be protected when the device is not in use. In such case, the body portion would preferably be extended to cover the point, rather than the cutter shortened.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the dimensioning of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent, is-- 1. A combined can piercing and dispensing device comprising a body portion having an open end conforming to and housing the end portion of a can, a spout formed integral with said body portion, said body portion having a shoulder spaced from the open end thereof, a cutter attached to the body portion between the spout and said shoulder and extending along the wall of said body portion to the open end thereof, said cutter having a piercing point and cutting edges receding therefrom, said cutter being spaced from said wall between said shoulder and the open end, said body portion between said shoulder and the open end having a recess on its inner face, and an e1astic ring secured in said recess and dimensioned so as to contact with the side face. of the double seam of a can when said dispensing device is placed on the can for holding said dispensing device attached to the can and for forming a sealing contact with said double seam.

2. A combined can piercing and dispensing device comprising a body portion having an open end conforming to and housing the end portion of a can, a spout formed integral with said body pOI't10}l, said body portion having a shoulder spaced from the open end thereof, a cutter attached to the body portion between the spout and said shoulder and extending along the wall of said body portion to the open end thereof,

said cutter having a piercing point and cutting edges receding therefrom, said cutter being spaced from said wall between said shoulder and the open end, said body portion between the shoulder and the open end being inclined outwardly and having a recess on its inner face, and an elastic ring secured in said recess, said ring having the inner face'thereof inclined outwardly toward the open end of the dispensing device and timed so as to contact with the side face of the double seam of a can when said dispensing device is placed on the can for holding said device attached to the can and for forming a sealed contact between the can and the dispensing device.

FREDERICK A. PRAHL. 

